APS 344 Topics in Evolutionary Genetics

Level

3

Semester

2A

Credits

10

Prerequisites (recommended)

APS220 and/or APS274

Teaching Staff

Professor Terry Burke, Dr Eran Elhaik, Dr Kai Zeng

Co-ordinator

Professor Terry Burke

Aims

This course aims to provide the opportunity for students to develop (i) their knowledge of current leading-edge research areas in evolutionary genetics and (ii) their skills in accessing, interpreting and synthesizing the primary scientific literature in this field. This will be achieved by examining three areas of current research activity in evolutionary genetics through detailed analysis of the questions, methods and interpretations in groups of recent publications. Each area will begin with a lecture on the fundamental theory, but the majority of the course is formed of student-led seminars exploring the literature.

Content

By the end of the module, a candidate will be able to demonstrate:
• awareness of current research challenges in evolutionary genetics
• in depth knowledge in each of three distinct areas of evolutionary genetics
• knowledge of currently available research approaches in evolutionary genetics and their potential applications
• an ability to access primary scientific literature and extract key points from papers, especially in the field of evolutionary genetics
• an ability to interpret and debate the results of primary scientific papers and to synthesize across publications, especially in the field of evolutionary genetics
• an ability to summarize and present their interpretation of the current literature in a format equivalent to a short ‘perspective’ article.

Delivery Method: 3 Lectures and 12 student-led discussions

Student Contact Hours: 15

Assessment Method: Coursework. Continual Assessment

Assessment Weighting: 75% Coursework, 25% Continual Assessment

TurnItIn Submission: Coursework Essay

Feedback: Students will receive immediate feedback on presentations made during discussion sessions. Feedback will be provided on Coursework.